Tuesday July 7th

Tuesday July 7th

Last night when we were at dinner we were told that we would be training on an actual hard wood Futsal court. So we were a bit excited but with the way things have been going we didn’t want to get to excited because it might not happen.

So we wake up again in the morning and go for breakfast. Every day we have had very similar meals for breakfast, eggs, bread, salad, fish, vegetables, and cake. We got on the bus this time with the Judo team. These guys are really cool. One guy was an alternate on the USA Olympic team in Beijing. Then there is Barry…

We finally arrive at Hadar Yoseph which is the Olympic training ground we were at when we played on the grass field. This court was perfect. We should have been training here all week. We felt great running, training, and playing on the hard wood. We scrimmaged and we are really starting to play like a team. It’s a shame that we couldn’t get together before the games and play. As we are leaving we get a chance to watch the USA gymnastics team work out a bit, the USA Judo team finish training, and an Israeli dance class work out. I don’t need to say it but you know what most of us were watching.

We are finally happy with the facility we played at so after practice we happily get back on the bus and go back to the hotel. Since we are leaving early on Thursday to have lunch at Kfar Maccabiah and then go to our competition hotel, most of us got our dirty clothes together and took it to the laundry room. The hotel set it up that for 50 shekels they will wash all our clothes. 50 shekels is about $12. It takes a full day to get the clothes back so we wanted to make sure we had them before we left on Thursday. Smart right…let’s just hope it works out the way it should.
We had about 20 minutes to grab lunch before we set out on a 2 and a half hour drive to the Dead Sea. On the way to the Dead Sea we stopped off at a gas station to use the restrooms. When we got off there just happened to be a camel sitting in the parking lot. Of course, being Americans we jump all over it and take pictures and pose with it some people even got rides. We finally got our things together again and back on the road. We cross over the green line and stop at 2 different check points. The armed guards let us through no problem but you should have seen the guns they were holding.

As we get to the Dead Sea we can see that the water level has been dropping. We were told that the water source that flows into the Dead Sea was been cut off and is being used by the people in the region for their everyday living. It’s sad to see that one day, because of human interference; the Dead Sea will be gone.

We are heading to a spa called Ein Gedi. This place had everything you would expect at a spa on the Dead Sea. Sulfur baths, steam room and sauna, a fresh or “sweet” water pool, message area, and lots and lots of showers. We went outside and covered ourselves in mud head to toe and then walked our way to the heavily salted water. On the walk they posted markers from the spa to the sea to show what the water level was at a certain year. It’s really sad to see how much the water level has dropped since 1996. Once at the water we put our towels down and walked into the water. The beach was covered with a 5 inch hard salt shell. You must wear shoes or sandals while on this beach because the ground is so hot and because the amount of salt. We walked into the warm salt water and the smallest of cuts, rashes, or opening in the body started to burn. If you can get over the salt “sting” then you submerge your body in the water and you will notice that your feet well start to rise to the top of the water. The next thing we knew we were all floating in the water. It’s a really cool feeling because you can just lay back and rest or read a book without an inner tube. The water of the Dead Sea has a very oily residue which is very good if you have dry skin. So all of our skin is now nice and smooth but very salty. We don’t get to stay there to long since we have to head off to Masada and then to the Bedouin Tent for dinner.
We take a 10 minute drive from Ein Geti to Masada. If you know nothing about Masada…go onto google and check it out. Masada is the Palace of King Herrod about 3000 years ago. Did I mention it was at the top of a mountain? Yeah that’s really the cool part. The last 2 trips I have been on made us walk up Masada. There is a “snake” path up the side containing thousands of steps. When we come with the athletic group we take a gondola up. Go figure. So once we get to the top we walk around looking at the storage areas, the cisterns, the living quarters, the open areas and the spa. Yes the spa. Apparently King Harrod felt it necessary to build a sauna at the top of the mountain. I asked the same question you are asking now…WHY would you want to have a sauna in the desert!! The answer I got was…Because he could. The place is amazing, the construction, the details in the mosaics, the inhabitants, and the destruction. The entire story of Masada is long and detailed but it’s all about doing what others could not, power, and death.
So now it’s time for dinner. We walked down Masada right to the busses. But on the way down a group of us bumped into Gold Medal Swimmer Jason Lezack ( I hope I spelled that right) Nice guy, took some pictures with him…of course this is the one time I didn’t bring my camera. Oh well.

Now let me tell you this….when we were told that we were going to a Bedouin tent for dinner we thought we were going into the middle of the desert and sitting on the ground and eating dinner. Sounds fair right? Well we did go into the middle of the Judean Desert and we did sit on the ground to eat dinner. What we didn’t expect was the Bedouin store, the dance club and the light up club style bar (without alcohol). We walked up to the complex on a nicely laid out carpet with torches lighting our way. Once inside they have set up 7 or 8 different stations with many kinds of fruit, appetizers, and desserts. We walked around a bit and took samples of everything. (on a side note: the watermelon here in Israel is so absolutely sweet and delicious and we eat some every day) Behind all the appetizer stations they have set up hundreds of tables for us to sit at and eat. We find our way into the back of the complex and take 4 tables under a tent. Most of the tables are in the open air and with the desert wind blowing the dust was everywhere so choosing to be under the tent was by far the best choice. Now, each table sits 8 people…then why did you take 4 tables Jared? Well so we could sit with the girls open soccer team of course. I know what I am doing when it comes to this kind of stuff. So the girls join us for dinner, coach and all. Since all the soccer teams are at Kfar Maccabiah and the Futsal team is at Shefiyem, we have not gotten to meet any of the other players. So we talked and ate. Not to freak anyone out but as we were sitting and eating one of the girls, Mike Coakley’s sister Raleigh, felt something crawling over her foot. She jumped up and screamed bloody murder. So this made everyone else freak out. People started screaming that it was a big spider but no one saw it yet. The next thing we know a 4 inch white scorpion darts out from under the table. (read that again….yes a scorpion) This brought over the Israeli soldiers that are with us along with the people running the dinner. One of the soldiers saw the scorpion and stepped on it. Most everyone was freaking out about that as well, but after 6 or 7 hard stomps and a long drag of his boot the thing was dead. Before we could pick it up and get rid of it, a cat ran by and took it for us. Just a little excitement before we eat.

So back to the meal, we have humus and pita and salads and drinks and vegetables and such to start our dinner. The next thing we know a large metal plate has placed in the middle of the table. There were 4 pounds of rice along with 3 different types of meat, more vegetables, and I think some raisons, enough food to feed 12 to 14 people easy. (um….that’s per table not for all 4 of our tables)

So we eat like typical Americans, grab and grab and grab but can’t finish anything. We have been working out every day and eating a lot of vegetables and fresh foods. Our eating habits have changed a bit so our stomachs are not as big as our eyes any more. So we leave a lot left on the table. Before we could get comfortable sitting on the pillows on the ground, music started to play which attracted everyone. As we approached we sow 3 belly dancers. We are all thinking hot, hot, hot baby….yeah. But in reality it was like holly crap, what the heck, and is that a guy?
We stayed for about 30 more minutes before getting back on the bus for our 2 and a half hour ride back to the hotel. We all fell asleep on the way home….that was a long day.